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Azure Url Shortener

Budget-friendly URL shortener running in your Azure subscription

URL Shorteners & Link Management

Self-hosted URL shortener for Azure with scheduled redirects, click statistics, and a Blazor admin interface. Deploy in minutes with step-by-step guidance.

Overview

Overview

AzUrlShortener is a cost-effective URL shortening solution designed to run entirely within your Azure subscription. Built with .NET and Blazor, it gives you full control over your short links without relying on third-party services or recurring SaaS fees.

Key Capabilities

The platform includes a Blazor-based admin web app (TinyBlazorAdmin) for creating and managing short URLs. Track click statistics to understand link performance, and configure time-based redirects to route users to different destinations based on schedules. For advanced workflows, the REST API supports integration with tools like Postman or direct table access via Azure Storage Explorer.

Deployment & Audience

Targeted at developers, marketers, and small teams who want ownership of their URL infrastructure, AzUrlShortener offers straightforward deployment through documented step-by-step instructions. The architecture is extensible for enterprise configurations while remaining accessible to users new to Azure. With an MIT license and active community contributions, the project balances simplicity with flexibility for diverse hosting scenarios.

Highlights

Schedule-based redirects to route traffic by time or campaign
Built-in click statistics and tracking dashboard
Blazor admin UI with REST API for programmatic management
Runs entirely in your Azure subscription for full data control

Pros

  • Budget-friendly with no recurring SaaS fees beyond Azure costs
  • Step-by-step deployment documentation for quick setup
  • Extensible API supports custom integrations and workflows
  • Active community with regular updates and contributor support

Considerations

  • Requires an Azure subscription and familiarity with cloud deployments
  • Limited to Azure infrastructure; not cloud-agnostic
  • Statistics features are basic compared to enterprise analytics platforms
  • Self-hosted maintenance and updates are user responsibility

Managed products teams compare with

When teams consider Azure Url Shortener, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.

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Bitly

URL shortening and link management service for creating concise, trackable links with analytics

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Cutt.ly

URL shortener with branded links, QR codes, and analytics

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Rebrandly

Branded URL shortener and link management

Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.

Fit guide

Great for

  • Teams wanting full ownership of URL shortening infrastructure
  • Marketing campaigns requiring scheduled redirect logic
  • Developers comfortable with Azure and .NET ecosystems
  • Organizations prioritizing data sovereignty and cost control

Not ideal when

  • Users seeking a zero-configuration SaaS solution
  • Multi-cloud environments requiring vendor-neutral deployment
  • Teams needing advanced analytics or A/B testing features
  • Projects without Azure subscription or cloud infrastructure budget

How teams use it

Time-sensitive marketing campaigns

Redirect early-bird links to registration pages, then switch to replay content after an event concludes

Cross-platform social media tracking

Generate unique short URLs for each channel to measure click performance and audience engagement

Internal team link management

Centralize short links for documentation, demos, and resources with full audit trails in your Azure tenant

API-driven link generation

Automate short URL creation from CI/CD pipelines or CRM systems using the REST API

Tech snapshot

C#48%
HTML36%
Bicep11%
CSS5%
Shell1%

Tags

storagecontainerazure-container-appsfluentui-blazorazureserverlessblazorurl-shortenercsharp

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an existing Azure subscription?

Yes. AzUrlShortener deploys to Azure. New users can start with a free account that includes $200 credit.

What Azure services does this use?

The project deploys Azure Functions, Storage, and a web app. Exact resources depend on your configuration.

Can I run the admin interface locally?

Yes. You can run the API locally or in containers and manage URLs via Postman, REST Client, or Azure Storage Explorer.

How do scheduled redirects work?

You configure time-based rules to route users to different destination URLs depending on the current date or time.

Is there a roadmap for new features?

Yes. Planned enhancements include QR code generation, geographic tracking, and expanded statistics. Check the project board and discussions for updates.

Project at a glance

Stable
View repo
Stars
581
Watchers
581
Forks
750
LicenseMIT
Repo age5 years old
Last commit3 months ago
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageC#

Last synced 2 days ago